


Trigger Language

by koanju (verstehen)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verstehen/pseuds/koanju
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first meeting of the Beacon Hills Teachers Association bargaining team to prepare for their next round of contract negotiations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trigger Language

Donna Sanderson fidgeted a little nervously as she waited for the others to quit chitchatting near the coffee and make their way to the table. The first meeting of the bargaining team was always held in the union hall and open to any of the bargaining unit members. Usually, though, BUMs never showed up. Donna pulled out her phone and tapped out a reminder to herself to tell Jerry, the president, that they needed to do more walk-n-knocks and one-on-ones with the new people so they understood exactly how important this round of negotiations with the administration would be while Bobby Finstock was making his way over to the table now and that was usually a sign for things to start. 

Donna waited until everyone was settled before blurting out her first and foremost concern before Jim Wall could even bring up the way he hated goddamn internet surveys to access needs and desires. "We have to push for a shorter negotiation time. And we have to open the pay schedule even though it's closed until 2015." Everyone in the small group -- except Finstock -- groaned at the thought of contentious salary negotiations. Beacon Hills was a fairly wealthy district so pay had never really been an issue before but with the California budget, the federal budget, and the recent exodus of families out of the district that had been plagued with murders and crime... The budget was taking a hit from all three revenue sources. 

"We can't do that," Mindy Stoner, their unofficial secretary, said. "We don't have a trigger in the contract to open negotiations early." 

Finstock leaned forward, staring at Donna. He had that crazy look in his eye. The one that meant he was either going to say something insane like, "Call me cupcake," to the superintendent of schools or something really smart. Like, "You've got the werewolves in your classes too, don't you, Donna?" He grinned slowly. "You're angling for hazard pay." 

"I've worked here for fifteen years," she told the rest of the team. "It was fine when it was the Hales. They were a family and they spent a lot of time teaching their kids how to be people and not animals. But now the youngest, Derek, is back and he's biting kids --" 

Finstock nodded. "It's been good for the lacrosse team." _Of course he'd say that, he's the one getting the bonus for their good season_ , she thought mutinously. "But pretty bad for property damage and morale." 

"And Gerald Argent was a crappy principal," Jerry put in, scowling. "He never did any of the proper paperwork. I don't think he was even certified. I liked Jo Anderson, even if he was a dick with his head in the clouds."

"Look," Donna said. "The point -- we can get hazard pay. We deserve hazard pay. Adrian Harris --" Everyone scowled at the name of their most troublesome teacher. Even Donna, who had been one of the founding members of the Beacon Hills Teachers Association, was tired of dealing with the man and the grievances and trouble he caused. "I know, I hate him too!" She said preemptively, before anyone could cut in and derail her argument. "But he was attacked in his own classroom by a werewolf." She looked around the table. "And we can open negotiations early if we get our shit together. It's in section 5c, about changes in physical safety in the work environment. Bitten teenage werewolves definitely qualify!" 

"How's it going to look to the new Board, though?" Mindy asked. "The last thing we need right now is a smear campaign about how we're greedy, soulsucking bad teachers. I don't want California to become another Wisconsin or Indiana and the legislature definitely hasn't been siding with the unions."

Donna smiled at her friend. "I think we'll be okay. You're the head of the PAC, Mindy, you're pretty much single-handedly responsible for two of the three new members. I bet if you talked to them personally you could swing them to our point of view. Even without mentioning the werewolves." 

"Let's do it," Finstock said, grinning. And since he was the bargaining chair, it pretty much meant they were going to do it. "At the very least, it'll keep them on their toes. Let's take the fight to them; let the board know will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We are going to live on! We are going to survive!" He smacked a palm against the table completely missing the fact everyone at the table was rolling their eyes and Jim Wall was actually mouthing the words along with him to mock Finstock. "Let's get to work." 

But Donna was happy to hear the speech again this year; she was ready to do a little fighting -- by tooth and claw -- if necessary to get better wages and working conditions for the people she represented. 

After all, no one should have to teach hormonal teenage werewolves and deal with principals she were pretty sure were actually hunters without some sort of real compensation.

**Author's Note:**

> Nope, not sorry. THERE IS POWER IN A UNION and if anyone might need a little solidarity in Beacon Hills it's those teachers. ;)


End file.
